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Researchers map physical properties of live breast cancer cells using advanced AFM technology

Researchers who developed a high-speed form of atomic force microscopy have shown how to image the physical properties of live breast cancer cells, for the first time revealing details about how deactivation of a key protein may lead to metastasis.

30 Jun 2015

Study supports need for diagnostic analysis of germline and tumor biomarker information

A core tenet of precision medicine is that predictive biomarkers can enhance therapeutic decision-making. In a new pilot study, scientists at Molecular Health analyzed a randomly selected set of 250 patients with solid tumors and detected predictive biomarkers in more than 85% of tumors.

30 Jun 2015

TSRI scientists find five different miRNAs involved in memory formation

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found that a type of genetic material called “microRNA” plays surprisingly different roles in the formation of memory in animal models. In some cases, these RNAs increase memory, while others decrease it.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers explore why some mutations can cause severe disease in humans, but benign in animals

Researchers at Duke University School of Medicine and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School have identified a mechanism that explains why some mutations can be disease-causing in one genome but benign in another.

30 Jun 2015

Imperial College London researchers discover new inherited form of obesity, type 2 diabetes

Scientists have discovered a new inherited form of obesity and type 2 diabetes in humans. A large number of genes are involved in regulating body weight, and there are now over 30 genes known in which people with harmful changes in DNA sequence become extremely overweight. Similarly, there are a number of genes that can, when altered, cause type 2 diabetes. These conditions are inherited through families in exactly the same way as disorders such as cystic fibrosis or Huntington's disease.

30 Jun 2015

Three National Laureates selected for 2015 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

A chemist who has made important discoveries in both the human brain and sustainable energy, a neurosurgeon who has done pioneering work mapping the "blueprint" of how humans speak and hear, and a computer scientist who has changed our understanding of the capacity of wireless networks are the three winners of the 2015 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists.

30 Jun 2015

Bacterial ‘fight club’ approach effective for finding new drugs from natural sources

Creating bacterial "fight clubs" is an effective way to find new drugs from natural sources. That is the conclusion of a team of Vanderbilt chemists who have been exploring ways to get bacteria to produce biologically active chemicals that they normally hold in reserve. These compounds are called secondary metabolites.

30 Jun 2015

People with recurrent depression have significantly smaller hippocampus than healthy individuals

The brains of people with recurrent depression have a significantly smaller hippocampus - the part of the brain most associated with forming new memories - than healthy individuals, a new global study of nearly 9,000 people reveals.

30 Jun 2015

New informatics technology could accelerate search for potential new drug targets on protein structures

Researchers have developed a new informatics technology that analyzes existing data repositories of protein modifications and 3D protein structures to help scientists identify and target research on "hotspots" most likely to be important for biological function.

30 Jun 2015

New species of tRNA-derived small RNAs contribute to cell proliferation in cancer

Since their discovery in the 1950s, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) have been best known for their role in helping the cell make proteins from messenger RNA templates. However, recent studies have led to a previously-unsuspected concept that tRNAs are not always the end product; namely, they further serve as a source of small RNAs.

30 Jun 2015

Wistar Institute study shows that PI3K inhibitors may make a patient's cancer even worse

The enzyme phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K) appears to be exploited in almost every type of human cancer, making it the focus of considerable interest as a therapeutic target, with many PI3K-inhibiting drugs currently in various stages of clinical development. However, PI3K inhibitors have only shown modest clinical activity with patients who receive these drugs experiencing very little improvement in survival.

30 Jun 2015

New discovery could lead to personalized treatment for colon cancer

A UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center discovery of just how a certain tumor suppressor molecule works to prevent tumor growth could lead to a personalized treatment approach for colon cancer.

30 Jun 2015

Retina contains microtubule "roadway" that provides energy required for visual processing

Researchers have discovered a thick band of microtubules in certain neurons in the retina that they believe acts as a transport road for mitochondria that help provide energy required for visual processing.

30 Jun 2015

Study may predict which glioblastoma patients may respond well to dasatinib drug treatment

Clinicians testing the drug dasatinib, approved for several blood cancers, had hoped it would slow the aggressive growth of the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma; however, clinical trials to date have not found any benefit. Researchers at Mayo Clinic, who conducted one of those clinical trials, believe they know why dasatinib failed — and what to do about it.

30 Jun 2015

New research reveals that male and female mice use different cells to process pain

New research released today in Nature Neuroscience reveals for the first time that pain is processed in male and female mice using different cells. These findings have far-reaching implications for our basic understanding of pain, how we develop the next generation of medications for chronic pain—which is by far the most prevalent human health condition—and the way we execute basic biomedical research using mice.

30 Jun 2015

Two antibodies show early promise in preventing and treating MERS

As the South Korean epidemic of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) continues unabated, researchers have raced to find treatments for the deadly virus, which has killed more than 400 people since it was first discovered three years ago in Saudi Arabia.

30 Jun 2015

Researchers identify better way to screen for lung cancer

The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, NJ, is pleased to announce that two of its oncologists and a research scientist are helping pave the way to an easier, more accurate, less invasive way to screen for the most common form of lung cancer. Lung cancer is the most common cancer in men worldwide and the number one cancer killer in the United States.

30 Jun 2015

Exhausted army of immune cells may damage the very body they are supposed to protect

An 'exhausted' army of immune cells may not be able to fight off infection, but if its soldiers fight too hard they risk damaging the very body they are meant to be protecting, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge.

30 Jun 2015

Scientists develop high-throughput strategy to build de novo genomes

Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a new approach to build nearly complete genomes by combining high-throughput DNA sequencing with genome mapping. The methodology enabled researchers to detect complex forms of genomic variation, critically important for their association with human disease, but previously difficult to detect.

30 Jun 2015

Study could point the way to new treatments for people with severe asthma

The immune response that occurs in patients with severe asthma is markedly different than what occurs in milder forms of the lung condition, according to researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Those unique features could point the way to new treatments, they said in an article published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

30 Jun 2015

Medical Science News

Researchers map physical properties of live breast cancer cells using advanced AFM technology

Study supports need for diagnostic analysis of germline and tumor biomarker information

TSRI scientists find five different miRNAs involved in memory formation

Researchers explore why some mutations can cause severe disease in humans, but benign in animals

Imperial College London researchers discover new inherited form of obesity, type 2 diabetes

Three National Laureates selected for 2015 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

Bacterial ‘fight club’ approach effective for finding new drugs from natural sources

People with recurrent depression have significantly smaller hippocampus than healthy individuals

New informatics technology could accelerate search for potential new drug targets on protein structures

New species of tRNA-derived small RNAs contribute to cell proliferation in cancer

Wistar Institute study shows that PI3K inhibitors may make a patient's cancer even worse

New discovery could lead to personalized treatment for colon cancer

Retina contains microtubule "roadway" that provides energy required for visual processing

Study may predict which glioblastoma patients may respond well to dasatinib drug treatment

New research reveals that male and female mice use different cells to process pain

Two antibodies show early promise in preventing and treating MERS

Researchers identify better way to screen for lung cancer

Exhausted army of immune cells may damage the very body they are supposed to protect

Scientists develop high-throughput strategy to build de novo genomes

Study could point the way to new treatments for people with severe asthma

Achieving and maintaining ISO 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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